Back in the Old West, bang for the buck probably meant either hiring the world's worst gunfighter or the world's worst hooker. Either way, you were screwed. In today's budget-conscious living, that's not necessarily the case. With people spending less on high-ticket items, like, say, custom motorcycles, both consumers and businesses are working harder (and hopefully smarter) to find a middle ground that makes everyone happy. That's exactly what happened with this 2008 Road Glide Duane "Dino" Williams brought to Paul Binford.
Dino didn't so much want his bike customized, as he needed it. We don't know exactly whose Wheaties he pissed in, but someone with a grudge and a lot of keys decided Dino's Road Glide needed pinstriping. Not a few lines here and there, either. The aggrieved party went all Jackson Pollock on the poor Harley, keying it down to the bare metal. The upshot to this tragedy being that if Dino needed an excuse to tailor his ride, he'd have a harder time finding one than the one Fate handed him.
Money was a bit of an object, though. Often times, you see some hot pimped bagger and people think it took 50 or 60 grand to make it happen. A lot of the time that's spot on. Not so this time around. Dino wanted two things: show and go. However, he only had 10 grand to spend. That gave Paul a little leeway for targeting his customer's money intelligently instead of painting the bike with cash and calling it a done deal.
The frame, controls, and transmission were pretty much left alone. That saved Dino some coin right off the bat. Most of the money went into the paint, wheels, motor, stereo, and a few other key pieces.
Paul started by stripping the keyed tanks and fenders from Dino's poor Glide, then smoothed and painted it all in a mix of candy colors, followed by their jagged pinstriping (sans keys). At the same time, they tossed the front fender for a sexier Fat Katz version.
While the bagger was all in pieces, the shop got rid of the stock wheels too. Now Dino's ride sports two Renegade Aspen hoops, the front measuring in at 23 inches and the rear at 18. The front also has a matching rotor. Paul compromised at the rear, though, keeping the stock pulley and rotor as a way to keep Dino's costs down. Both wheels run stock calipers.
Reinventing the motor was also a mix of new and old. The shop punched the V-twin from 96 inches to 103 using a mix of Wiseco pistons, BC Gerolomy heads, S&S valves, Feuling lifters, and Screamin' Eagle goodies (pushrods, rod tubes, and lifters). The lower end was largely left alone except for Woods cams. The new motor also got a cardio makeover courtesy of a K&N air filter, Rinehart pipes, and a Power Commander EFI controller.
There wasn't much compromise with the stereo, though. Paul gave Dino a new eight-speaker Fosgate setup (four 6x9-inchers and two 6.5-inch models at the inner fairing, and two 5.25-inch speakers in the dash).
Other than all that, Binford finished off Dino's bike with a few touches here and there. Cyclesmiths handlebars, a CycleVisions headlight, and a few Küryakyn pieces now call this Road Glide home. The final gem was the re-upholstered seat from Fine Line Upholstery, where it received a gator skin cover.
When it was all said and done, Paul gave Dino Williams exactly what he wanted, and on budget to boot. Now Dino just needs to avoid pissing off hot-tempered locksmiths and he should be one happy rider.